Oxford Halloween Parade delights the crowd

10/28/2019 09:22AM
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By J. Chambless

The Lincoln University Marching Band drum major leads his musicians up Third Street. (Photo by Chris Barber)

By
Chris BarberCorrespondent

Several thousand spectators packed Oxford’s Third
Street from one end of town to the other on Thursday evening for a parade
that’s the most extravagant of the season. Even before the procession kicked
off at the south end of town, chatter was going through the crowd -- “Is
Lincoln coming? Are the Jackson scarecrows marching again?”

The answer to both was “yes.”

Spectators took their places three deep along the
sidewalk shortly after 6 p.m. As the time grew close, parade co-chairman Jim
McLeod looked down at his watch and commented that his events always start on
time. At 6:30 p.m. on the dot, the red and blue police car lights started
blinking as the parade started moving.

The ideal weather helped prompt the upbeat mood.
Co-chairman Chris Grove said, “How many years has it been since the weather was
this good?”

McLeod, who collected the marchers’ applications with
Grove ahead of time, said there were 60 floats, bands, company trucks and other
marchers already signed up -- and that wasn’t counting the walk-on families and
individuals.

The participants brought a varied show which began
with Oxford’s Union fire trucks having just returned from covering a fire in
Bart Township. Then came the Penn’s Grove Middle School and Oxford High School
bands. Several youth dance and dramatic groups made brief stops in front of the
reviewing stand to show their talents, and interspersed with them were many
families and individuals who dressed up for the walk.

Included prominently -- and graciously received by the
crowd -- was the large Jackson family, consisting of relatives of all ages dressed
as “unscary” scarecrows. The Unionville Equine veterinary center brought up the
rear with a horse, a cow and a goat.

But by far, the star of the show was the Lincoln
University Marching Band. The drumbeat and accompanying cheering from the crowd
could be heard several blocks away from the reviewing stand as they marched
northward. The band stopped at several intervals to present their show, and the
crowd greeted the spectacle with their appreciative applause and hoorays.

Dressed in their signature orange and navy uniforms,
the Lincoln musicians were full of exuberance. The band was led by its
energetic drum major, who was flanked by two banner holders in silver leotards.
Throughout their show, they were often airborne and moved in perfect sync.

The marchers were judged by a three-person group on
the reviewing stand at Locust Street. These are the winners, as reported by the
Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce: